1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a virtual reality simulation apparatus which includes software of images easily prepared and fits or corresponds realistically to participants' motions or movements such as walking or running, and more particularly to a virtual reality simulation apparatus through which participants can have quasi experiences, with full reality, of walk in various directions and on slopes and steps while being positioned at the same position.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Various types of virtual reality simulation apparatuses have been hitherto developed, for example or particularly for game machines and devices, wherein a participant mounts on his or her head a head-mounted display (called "HMD" hereunder) and watches and listens to a three-dimensional image prepared by computer graphics.
Most of those apparatuses cause the participant to be kept in sitting upon watching and listening to the three-dimensional image on the HMD. The participant does not make a walk motion or movement or the like and thereby does not feel reality in use of the apparatuses.
A different conventional apparatus causes the participant to stamp his or her feet at the same position or make a walk motion in a single direction on a conveyer belt so as to synchronize the walk motion and the three-dimensional image. It is hard for the participant to feel in his or her body a reality in use of the apparatus (Japanese Unexamined Patent Application No. 7-200162 (1995)).
Moreover, some of the conventional virtual reality simulation apparatuses provide a three-dimensional image which changes correspondingly to the participant's moving forward and backward, or the like. However, an extent of movement of the participant is limited to a narrow range.
Furthermore, the image software used in the conventional virtual reality simulation apparatuses which is prepared by the computer graphics is quite expensive to produce, which obstructs practical use of the apparatus.